Base stations are typically the least reliable elements in wireless networks, and the portion of overall wireless service downtime attributable to base station failures is significant. First, since wireless service providers deploy numerous base stations in order to provide adequate wireless coverage, wireless service providers experience financial pressure to minimize base station cost, thereby discouraging redundant protection switching hardware. Second, many base stations are deployed in non-climate-controlled locations, including outdoor locations, thereby increasing base station hardware failure rates due to thermal and other environmental stresses. Finally, many base stations are deployed in remote, non-staffed locations, thereby increasing mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) times required for recovering from base station hardware failures due to the time required to bring repair personnel to the site.
Typically, when a base station fails, the wireless terminals served by the failed base station are expected to detect the failure and, if coverage is available from an adjacent base station, connect to that adjacent base station. In other words, the wireless terminals attempt to minimize the service disruption resulting from a base station failure. Although there is typically some degree of wireless service coverage overlap in wireless networks, many geographical regions may not be covered by multiple base stations, thereby preventing the wireless terminals from connecting to adjacent base stations. Furthermore, disadvantageously, existing wireless networks do not attempt to minimize the service disruption from a base station failure, relying instead on the reconnection actions initiated by the wireless terminals.